troops in afghanistan but still u.s. troops are going to be there for years. come fall it's a full decade we've been at war. there is an aspect of this that's easy to miss, at least until your life is on the line. i'm talking about the impact this war's had on medical care, not just wounded troops but for people here at home. one pretty stark example is the care that saved the life of congresswoman gabrielle giffords. a bullet through the head, the kind of wound you plight see in combat. dr. peter rhy running the plj si room but americans his trade in iraq with the navy. he says with a wound like giffords had a decade ago doctors would have given up before they even started. >> for most handgun injuries through and through to the head, the chance going into the operating room are exceedingly low. but now that we've gotten experience of penetrating trauma from the iraq experience we're aggressive about getting to the operating room. >> reporter: in iraq and afghanistan we've learned to do as much as possible right way, don't wait until you get to the hospital t